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Friday, 27 March 2009

Trophy Kids, Channel 4

Did we like it?
This should have been called Loser Parents. Horrendous, abusive, appalling species, all exposed in this fascinating but anger-inducing documentary.

What was good about it?
• Some pushy parents may have seen this and decide to lay off pressurising their children into situations far too hard for a kid to handle.
• There was no hard-hitting narration. Alastair Cook and Rob Davis's footage following these unfit parents was all we needed to realise how horrific it all was.

What was bad about it?
• The uncomfortable treatment of all four featured children by parents who "want the best for them".
Young golfer Lee, who'd been nicknamed The Wolf by his foul-mouthed, unsporting father, was without doubt a meal ticket who was hounded around the fairways and burdened with the task of earning enough to buy a Ferrari or two and a yacht. So desperate was his father to protect his asset, that the boy wasn't allowed out in case he got knocked over.

“Fucking hit the fucking ball” or “Eden, you gave up,” is no way for a father to talk to his 12-year-old daughter, who is destined in his warped eyes to win Wimbledon and has to suffer huge pain in her growing body to help him achieve his dream. To compound her misery, her father has hired a coach who lashes out with comments such as “I don’t understand why you dare hit a forehand that badly.”

Nine-year-old Billy – aka The Iceman – isn't allowed to enjoy his sport. He has to win at all costs to please his twisted father.

Charlie the boxer is stuck with a father who shrugs off his son's nosebleed, swears appallingly and has sacrificed his marriage so that his son can achieve the things he was to useless to manage.

17 comments:

Anonymous
said...

First of all, I think you are as extreme as you say those parents are. Have you no idea what the media and television do. Let me explain, a lot of what you saw was staged or the parents were egged on to say certain things. I know one of these parents personally and I can assure you this is the case. Comments made by this parent were completely taken out of context and the full comment was not shown. "hit the Fucking ball" was made under his breath, however the doc shows it as if he were saying it aloud and directly to his daughter and for everyone to hear. "At times our relationship appears professional and business like" again out of context, they left out "and other times I look at her and see a 12 year old child that I want to hug. This girl has 3 GCSE's and is a happy child who loves tennis. The parents are very loving and caring and have never even put a hand on either of their children. Get a life and look in the mirror as things are not always as they seem. YOU IDIOT

well apparently you have no ambition in life! these kids want to acheive things in life, unlike somepeople! if you want to get to the top you have to be tough.i know the tennis players family and half the things were cut out the documentary so it looks like the parents are evil. unfortunatley you are not smart enough to figure out what the media do. one thing mate get a blooming life!